Plans for a new hospital for west Wales by 2029 but what do the proposals mean?
Watch ITV Cymru Wales' report by Jess Main
A new hospital could be built in West Wales by the end of 2029.
That’s according to Hywel Dda Health Board who on Thursday revealed more of their ambitious plans to shake-up healthcare provision across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
The plans, which were put out to public consultation in 2018, would see both Glangwili and Withybush Hospitals lose services and could cost more than £1.3 billion.
Steve Moore, Chief Executive of Hywel Dda UHB, said: “This is the first but important stage of producing a business case to Welsh Government to try to secure a scale of investment never seen before in this area of Wales."
What are the plans?
The plan is for a new hospital to be built between Narberth and St Clears. It will become the main site for both planned and urgent care and will include a specialist mental health facility.
The exact location of the hospital is yet to be decided but according to the timeline set out by the Health Board a decision could be made by July of this year.
Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and Withybush in Haverfordwest would be downgraded, both losing A&E services - they would be replaced with GP-led minor injuries units.
Withybush hospital would also lose its status as a general hospital.
In the plans, Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth and Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli stay largely the same, with acute medicine and low risk day surgery continuing at the latter.
The proposals also include developing a network of new community hubs across the region, either by expanding current provision or building new facilities.
Subject to funding, bosses say the aim is that the development will run concurrently.
But David Williams, from Milford Haven, who's been campaigning against changes to Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire for decades, says that is a concern.
"It looks like the new build is going to start one year, the following year Withybush and Glangwili are going to be rebuilt, repurposed, and they're all going to be completed the same time, so what's going to happen to the patients while all three hospitals are being built and repurposed?"
He said, "you can't have people in hospital while they're pulling it apart."
What is the timeline?
January 2022 - Programme Business Case is submitted
July 2022 - Preferred site for new hospital confirmed
Dec 2023 - Outline planning application to be submitted
July 2026 - Purchase Site completion
August 2026 - Construction begins
End October 2029 - Hospital opens
At a Health Board meeting on Thursday it was stressed that this timeline is a target and that there “were many unknowns”.
This is a significant investment which will now need to be considered and approved by the Welsh Government.
But bosses at the Health Board described today as a “milestone”, suggesting the plans “offered hope to our staff and to the population”.
The proposals have previously been met with stiff opposition from locals, particularly in Pembrokeshire, who fear the county will be left “extremely disadvantaged.”
The Programme Business Case agreed on today is due to put to Welsh Government next week.
If approved, the Health Board say they’ll move on to more detailed discussions about exactly where services will be and what they’ll offer.
They say they're committed to working closely with the public to make those decisions.
Speaking to ITV News Steve Moore, the Health Board's Chief Executive said, "Our commitment is that we want to do that with our population alongside us, we want to continuously have conversations about what they need and how we can deliver that, alongside our clinicians."